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Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops! talked climate smart practices and sustainable aviation fuel

By Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, Anna Cates, UMN Extension soil health specialist and Ryan Miller and Dave Nicolai UMN Extension crops educators January 22, 2025, was a first for the University of Minnesota Extension’s Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops program in that it was broadcast live, not from Extension offices throughout Minnesota, but from one of the largest agricultural conferences in Minnesota each year, the Minnesota Ag Expo in Mankato. Hosted by UMN Extension crops educators Ryan Miller and Dave Nicolai, the program featured Anna Cates, UMN Extension soil health specialist, Warren Formo, executive director of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center, Joe Smentek, executive director of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Dan Coffman, Minnesota soil health specialist for the Conservation Technology Information Center discussing sustainable aviation fuel and other conservation topics. This was the third weekly episode of the 2025 Strategic Fa...
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Fusarium head blight in oats

Fusarium head blight in oat. Photo: Jafar Razzaghian (NIBIO) Yes, that is correct. Generally, when we hear about Fusarium head blight (scab) issues or risk of scab and management decisions to be considered, we are talking about spring wheat and barley. Summer 2024, concerns in spring barley and wheat were certainly the case, but fast forward to fall of 2024 and spring wheat and barley were not the only crops with issues. Significant infections had occurred in oats and contamination of harvested grain was a concern. Fusarium head blight (scab) is caused by several fungal species in the Fusarium genus and is of particular importance because the disease can contaminate harvested grain with deoxynivalenol (DON). DON, a vomitoxin, is an important mycotoxin that can negatively impact human and livestock health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a 1 part per million (ppm) DON tolerance in oats to be milled for human consumption. FDA also recommends that DON concentratio...

Save the Date - Southern Small Grains Update Meeting

Regenerative agriculture, resilient cropping systems, and soil health are just a few of the buzzwords that are busied a lot these days. One of the simplest and fastest ways to reach the goals that these concepts set out to accomplish is extending your crop rotation beyond the corn-soybean rotation that dominates much of Minnesota.  Can spring or winter wheat, hybrid winter rye, or oats be more than just cover and actually be that third crop? An outbreak of Fusarium head blight and challenges with pre-harvest sprouting this past season give pause on whether these risks are worth the rewards of an extended crop rotation. The University of Minnesota Extension is offering small grain workshops across Minnesota in February to address successful small grain production. Variety selection for spring wheat, oats, and winter rye, new and updated seeding rate recommendations for winter rye, and management of Fusarium head blight in wheat and oats will be discussed.  Bring your questions ...

25 Years of nutrient management: How have practices changed and evolved?

Here we are in 2025. Today on the Nutrient Management Podcast, our panelists talk about how the practice of nutrient management has changed over the last quarter century. How have precipitation levels - and perceptions about precipitation - changed? What came before the current Maximum Return To Nitrogen management model, and what did the change address? How has U of M research contributed to sulfur nutrient management understanding? How has awareness of ground and surface water quality evolved? Finally, how has tech changed (or not changed) the practice of fertilizer management over the last quarter century? This and much more on today's show. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional Resources: Nutrient managemen...

Register for Commercial Animal Waste Technician (CAWT) trainings in 2025, in-person and online

By Chryseis Modderman and Brenda Postels, Extension educators  There are several upcoming opportunities for Minnesota commercial manure haulers, applicators and site managers, to attend the Commercial Animal Waste Technician (CAWT) recertification workshops. Five in-person workshops and an online course will be offered in 2025! In-person workshops will take place in Sauk Centre (Jan. 28th). Mankato at Pork Congress on Feb. 12th, Hutchinson (Feb. 20th), Slayton (Mar. 5th), and Farmfest in Redwood County (August 7th.) Online training will be available June 1st through October 31st, 2024. All training must be completed by November 1st in order to get CAWT recertification for licensure through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Cost The registration fee is $10 for either in-person or online recertification training. For in person workshops, payment will be taken at the door by cash, credit card or check, payable to UMN Extension. Learn more at  z.umn.edu/cawt2025 More ...

Nitrogen conservation and water quality, Part 2: Precision conservation, and future efficiencies

We continue our conversation about nitrogen conservation and water quality on Advancing Nitrogen Smart. Today in Part 2, Brad Carlson and Jeff Vetsch continue discussing new technologies that may help address nitrogen loss, such as passive sensors and crop modeling systems. How might future tools such as AI play a part? How is precision testing affected by timing? In what ways can hybrid engineering, and further efficiencies in inhibitors be leveraged? This and much more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Vetsch, researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca) Additional resources: 2025 Nitrogen Conference How to interpret a water test for nitrate Nitrogen Smart --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email n...

Targeted spray technology highlighted on Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops

Liz Stahl, UMN Extension Educator - Crops Greeneye Technology targeting herbicide application directly to weeds. Are you curious about advances in targeted spray technology, or wondering if this system could work for you and actually lead to cost savings? These questions and more were addressed in the January 15 “Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops!” program. Dr. Rodrigo Werle, Weed Scientist with University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined moderator Ryan Miller, UMN Extension Educator - Crops, for a discussion on “Targeted Spray Technology,” highlighting Dr. Werle’s research around this innovative technology. What is targeted spray technology? Targeted spray technology is a novel system that is coming our way. There are expenses involved, but the intent is to generate bottom-line savings and other opportunities. Werle’s research team has been working with a system (One Smart Spray – Bosch and BASF Digital Farming Joint Venture) that is already commercially available in Brazil. J...